3/29/2006

That's it, I'm spent

Is life without regular wandings and injections worth blogging? The lack of regular WHYBAMLing makes BarrenAlbion bloody hard work to maintain. There isn't much to say about pregnancy, and lord knows I won't talk about sex again. That didn't work as well as I thought it would last time. Prudes.

Try not to fall asleep on me here. I want to know what you crazy kids are up to these days - what are you reading? What are you watching? What are you listening to? No seriously. This isn't small talk, I really do want to know. I find some of the most interesting posts and comments to be from bloggers talking about media-related things. Hell, I get downright giddy when Pamplemousse talks about her programming backlog. You know me, finger on the pulse and all that.

What I'm reading: I've been working on Ian McEwan's Atonement for months now it seems. When I was in the hospital last month having a back pit created for aesthetic purposes I read a whole 50 pages without stopping, but then I put the book down and...it has yet to be picked up again. I can't help it. Someone let me borrow The Time Traveler's Wife and that took over my reading schedule for awhile. I can't very well hate a book in which the main characters go to a Violent Femmes concert, can I? C'mon people, this is a band with immortal lyrics like, "Why can't I get just one fuck? I guess it's got something to do with luck" and "Nothing I can say when I'm in your thighs", phrases that made my 14 year old self blush and giggle with glee at the notion of listening to such vulgarity without my parents' knowledge.

What I'm watching: Everything. I'm an educated woman who loves to watch TV. I just can't help myself. Ok, I don't really watch everything that's on, but I do have a fondness for tripe such as American Idol and America's Next Top Model. The Dude and I are so addicted to AI that we have ::ahem:: AI "parties" on Friday nights (when it's aired here in the UK). These parties involve much debauchery and bacchanalian pursuits such as the drinking of soda and the consumption of large quantities of Ben and Jerry's. Yeah, we like to live on the edge. I tell you, it's good living.

On the topic of AI (abbreviated as such to display my hipness), I've developed an unhealthy fixation with Chris. I could do without the alt rock lite songs, but when he did Johnny Cash last week I found myself rubbing my boobs against the television screen and writhing. Hot. I like an intense man that looks as if he would throw me against a wall and have his wicked way, and he was staring into at the cameras like he was already picturing me naked. But way hotter. Yeah, he wants me.

Other than that, my main television staples are Prison Break, 24, and Rescue Me. The Dude and I have a fondness for DVD box sets, so at any given time we are trying to work ourselves through Oz, 21 Jump Street, Teachers, Arrested Development, and Freaks and Geeks episodes. We have seen every episode of Arrested Development (not including season 3) and Freaks & Geeks numerous times, but TV just doesn't get any better than that so we must watch them repeatedly. If you've never watched either of those shows, get thee to Netflix sharpish.

What I'm listening to: Cash, of course. My days are incomplete if no Cash comes up at all on my MP3 player. The Dude has a student that listens to Johnny and if it wasn't indecent I'd find out where he lives so I could smother him in my ample bosom and pat his head for being so clever at such a young age. For the record, he's like 17, not 10. Also, the smothering and patting is completely maternal. Completely opposite to Johnny is my infatuation with NERD, a group who makes me forget that I'm the whitest, nerdiest little suburbanite to dance like a rhythmless idiot to their music. Seriously, Rock Star makes me want to headbang and breakdance simultaneously and I cannot see how anyone can go through life without listening to this song at least once.

So there you go. More shit about me that you never asked to know. Now it's your turn. Talk to me people!

21 comments:

Atonement and Time Traveler's Wife are both on my list of favorite books ever. Ian McEwen is my new god, I think.

My best compliment of a book is that I don't want it to end, I want to stay in the character's lives and TTW was absolutely one of those books. The foreshadowing was great, the love story wasn't too cheesy, and the time traveling was such a clever twist. So unique!

I have a recommendation for you: Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani. It's another one where I wanted to jump into the book and live with the characters.

Well, you know what I'm listening to -- podcasts and archives of Ricky Gervais, Steve Merchant, and Karl Pilkington (or Fatty Fatty Toad Boy, Smirch, and K-Man Pilkoids, as they refer to themselves), of course, with my thanks to Audible.com and XFM. When not listening to that, I'm listening to even nerdier things like Anne Sofie von Otter sings die Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Mahler and you just don't want to hear about that.

Currently watching Lost, The Office, and The Simpsons.

Currently re-reading The Scarlet Letter, as was quite inspired by the glistening, dappled body of Gary Oldman to do so. I read it in 10th grade, but I didn't have Gary Oldman in my mind back then, so it was no fun. I'm expecting better things this time. Also reading The Complete Scripts of Series 1 of The Office, thanks to a certain dear, dear friend from one of the Mid-Atlantic States currently living in the UK with her husband and gestating fetus who is looking for an intense, edgy man who sings Johnny Cash and wants to throw her against the wall and give her all he's got. I don't think you know her.

I've been reading a lot lately in an effort to calm my mind before bed and such. Finished Devil in the White City last week (totally engrossing nonfiction about a serial killer at the Chicago World's Fair), made it through Amsterdam (also by McEwan and also fantastic - not as good as Atonement, but I think better than Saturday) while waiting to get antibiotics at the walk-in clinic last weekend, and now I'm getting started on The Known World. Not as much time for novels this week though, as I'm spending most of my time curled up with The Unofficial Guide to Disney World.

And TV, oh dear god to I love my TV.

Completely addicted to Lost and spent over an hour yesterday browsing the TWoP discussion boards. ANTM rocks my world. Amazing Race has been fantastic so far this season, nearly making up for the crappy family road trip version that was on last season. Survivor has actually been pretty good again, so I'm watching it after not making it through a full season in a couple of years. I quit the Prison Break habit after the first several episodes. 24 may be next on the chopping block - it's just kinda sucky this season. Wife Swap is one of my guiltier habits. Never have been able to get into American Idol past the hilarious audition shows, but my parents are totally addicted to it. Can't wait for The Wire to return to HBO. Missing Project Runway horribly already.

Do you have all of those in the UK? Things seem to have gotten monumentally better since I lived there in the late eighties/early ninties. I remember being so excited to see American TV episodes that were from three seasons earlier.

I'm a total book whore so I've just finished several. I'm starting the new Nick Hornby one (A Long Way Down) when I finish checking up on everybody.

As for music, I'm all about the Pink Martinis these days. They just make me bouncy and happy. And Jack Johnson. And Aimee Mann.

TV is my drug of choice. I looooove The Shield. I only started watching in last year so had many seasons to catch up on. I'm just starting Deadwood and Resue Me will be next. I also love The Office (especially the British one), My Name is Earl, Veronica Mars, and Gray's Anatomy. Oh and Scrubs.

Just finished A Million Little Pieces because 1) I wanted to see what all the hype was about and 2) who wants to read stupid baby books like What to Expect When You're Expecting when you can read about drug addiction and rehab? Personally, I'd rather read the part where he had a root canal done with no anesthesia a million times over what to expect during and after labor. I'd rather that just be a surprise...ignorance is bliss, right?

As for Chris on AI, he is totally hot and I will see your boob rubbing and writhing and raise you my perverted, progesterone induced dreams about him. When I found out he lives about thirty minutes away from here, all sorts of fabulous stalker-esque ideas started bouncing around my head. Also, Ray LaMontagne has been in my cd rotation for a while now, so I was thrilled to see the gray haired guy sing "Trouble". I like him even though he dances like a spazz.

Love America's Next Top Model too. I only wish they had given Jade a worse haircut so that she would be even uglier. She's a nightmare, but I think she'll go far in the competition.

Well, you already know all about my TV addiction. If you have not already seen Grey's Anatomy, they are showing Series 1 on Ch5 from next week. It was ace. I am not sure how we fit in going to work, eh?

Books, meh. I have already dumped 2 unfinished books this week due to boredom, one of which was Elegance by Kathryn Tessaro. Loved her first book but this one was b-o-r-i-n-g. That is not like me at all!

I did finish LifeSwap by Jane Green for a bit of clit-lit but there were too many yummy mummies and kids in it for me.

The best book I have read recently is actually for teenagers, called How I Live Now. I also recommend Gods in Alabama. All available in Tesco haha.

Yah, Chris is seriously yummy. And that "I Walk the Line" thing made me sit there and fan myself. (Have to warn you I wasn't as excited about this week's performance.) It's disgraceful for a 43-year-old woman to do so much American Idling, I think....

We were crushed when Arrested Development was cancelled, and live in hope it will be picked up again!

As for reading, my fave these days is Dorothy L. Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey series (especially his incredibly cerebral and hot romance with Harriet Vane, which starts in the book STRONG POISON). Such a joy to see Sayers unfold and become such a terrific writer through the course of all her books. I've read them all at least three times and haven't tired of them yet.

I think Atonement is one of the best books I've ever read, I'm sorry you're not into it at the moment. I also enjoyed the TTW. Have you read anything by Patrick Gale? Try Rough Music, I'm guessing you might enjoy it.

Oh the TV. I love ANTM, although I'm less interested in AI after the rounds where they all suck. And what in hell's name were the american public thinking in elminating Ayla? What with all the travel that's put me off AI somewhat - it takes up a lot of space on our Sky box and my husband sadly is no fan of crap TV.

Well, I recently finished "Why I'm Like This," by Cynthia Kaplan, which I really liked. Some bits were better than other, though. Now I am reading "Prep" by Curtis Sittenfeld, which is quite good so far, and I have a Johnathan Ames collection that I am hoping to start this weekend--I think it is called "I Love You More Than You Know." It looks quite hilarious, but we shall see.

Television is basically my best friend, and keeps me quite busy: Gilmore Girls, ANTM (obviously), the ending of The West Wing (I get a bit weepy knowing that soon it will all be over--am trying not to think about it) and lots and lots of television box sets (Gilmore Girls, Tru Calling, Wonderfalls). We also Netflix obscene numbers of L&O: Criminal Intent, occasionally stopping when my obviously orgasmic reaction to Vincent D'onofrio's character begins to annoy the Nearly.

As for music, I just got the new Josh Rouse, expecting to love it, but so far it is a bit Meh. Right now I have Otis Redding (well, not himself, but rather a recording) in my car.

Atonement is a great book. I'm reading "Life of Pi" and dI love it so far. My husband got me hooked on "Lost" (first season was great, second season so far not as good). TUnes: Ted Leo and the PHarmacist and Stellastarr* are my recent faves

'Life of Pi' is hands down one of my favorite books ever. I liked 'Atonement' as well. Oddly, the year before I read 'Atonement' I read something very similar that was written in England around 1920. Of course I can't remember who wrote it or what it was called (progesterone mush brain), but Ian McEwan had written the new forward.

Right now I'm re-reading 'The Crimson Petal and the White' for the entertainment value. It's about all I can handle at the moment. Next on the list is 'The Guynd: a Scottish Journal' about restoring an old family house. I'm hoping to find a comrade in restoration arms.

Though I'm keeping the reading light, the musical choices are tending to be dark. I cannot take the Decembrist's 'Picaresque' out of my CD player. I cannot recommend it enough, and I dare any of you barren ladies to listen to 'Engine Driver' without crying. Love that CD. Also, the Gorillaz are never far out of reach.

I fall asleep whenever the TV's on, due the surplus amounts of progesterone in my system, so, no help there!